Assessment of Motor and Process Skills (AMPS)

What is the AMPS?

The AMPS (Assessment of Motor and Process Skills) measures a person’s performance capacity for activities of daily living (ADL) and/or independent living. It is used to determine a person’s need for Occupational Therapy services, Homemaking and Personal Care services. It is used to establish client rehab goals and to plan interventions.

What is the AMPS Measuring?

The AMPS measures the quality of a person’s ADL performance by rating the effort, efficiency, safety, and independence while a person actually performs chosen, familiar, and life-relevant ADL tasks which include bathing, dressing, meal preparation, house cleaning tasks, outdoor maintenance tasks, and shopping.

The AMPS is a standardized observational assessment administered by an AMPS certified Occupational Therapist

What is Involved in an AMPS Assessment?

An AMPS evaluation begins with an interview of the client so that the Occupational Therapist can determine which standardized AMPS tasks are familiar, relevant and of sufficient challenge to the client being evaluated.

Following the interview, the client chooses and performs at least two ADL tasks that he or she has had prior experience performing.

These tasks are performed in a familiar environment the way he or she usually performs them.

After completion of the AMPS tasks, the Occupational Therapist scores the client on the 16 ADL motor and 20 ADL process skill items according to the criteria in the AMPS manual using a 4-point ordinal scale.

What are the Benefits of the AMPS?

It establishes baseline performance and evaluates for change in performance. The results of the AMPS are used to determine a person’s need for Occupational Therapy services, homemaking and personal care services, to write client goals that are occupation-based, and to plan interventions that meet an individual’s needs.